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Can Recession Lead to Obesity?

Recession time is here. So are worries, anxieties, and depression. But every cloud has a silver lining. Maybe this statement is a bit irritating in these serious times. Hopefully this article will give its readers something positive to think about the world’s present recession nightmare.

Globally, it is a hard time for all of us. Getting fired from a job after putting sweat and blood into it for years is one of the worst things one can possibly imagine. Now we need a new job because we have bills to pay. So it seems natural to many that health will take a beating and resorting to easily available junk food (which also make us happy) in such depressed times is excusable. We can’t escape having committed this sin. Can we?

What is BMI?
A study recently revealed that stress coupled with excessive intake of junk foods is a deadly combination, which seriously disturbs our body mass index (BMI) ratio and pushes us into the group of obese people. BMI is simply a ratio between our weight and height. Though the BMI ratio is not the perfect measure of obesity, an increase in BMI (above 25) over time is a sure indicator of obesity in humans.

A matter of concern:
Apart from being associated with a large number of health consequences, like high blood pressure, heart disease, diabetes, chronic pain, and heart attacks, obesity also causes depression (as if a recession is not enough for us !).

Governments all over the world are in a two-pronged fight with recession. Apart from dealing with recession on the financial front, governments are also finding it difficult to maintain the health and well-being of their people. However, efforts are being made to win the battle by implementing steps like banning foods containing trans-fats, taxing sugary drinks, and offering incentives to those who lose weight.

However, the present financial conditions are also compelling governments all over the world to examine the ways in which the lifestyles of individuals and public health in general can be reformed.

Personally, we too need to realize that recession is in yet another warning not to take our health for granted. We definitely don’t need yet another global recession to learn our lesson. Do we?